October Camping on the rim!

The forecast called for one last warm spell the middle of October so we headed for the mountains. We camped 20 miles north of Strawberry on forest road 300 in Kehls Springs campground. This campground is just off the forest road that winds along the edge of the Mogollon rim and the views were incredible. We were not sure what to expect having never been in this area. The campground was old and had restrooms and a lot of history but no running water and fortunately few people. Because of the perfect weather we decided to just sleep in our landscape trailer and it fit all six of us just fine. We were all a little cold the first night so the second night we threw a tarp over the top of the trailer and man did it look fancy! We must have looked like a traveling gypsy family.

Among the endless pines we found groves of deciduous trees that flashed Fall colors and reminded us summer was over.

Brooklyn does not like the rides at Disneyland but wanted to get close to the edge of every lookout point we found!

We spent part of the day hiking "the tunnel trail" to ...you guessed it! A tunnel! The story is that it was excavated in the late 1800's in hopes of the railroad passing through the mountain some day but was never finished. It was amazing that 70 ft had been completed in one summer considering it is solid rock and is in an area that took us 45 minutes of tough hiking to get to.

This summer Clayton completed his hunters saftey course through the Az Fish & Game. It was squirrel season and his instructors had told him that squirrel hunting is not only a ton of fun but a good way for a novice hunter to get some experience. This one he got all on his own. Later that weekend we went out as a family chasing them up the trees so Clayton, and sometimes Dad, could take a shot or 3 or 10. Sorry Grammy:)

Our white-trash campsite!

On the final day we took the ranger for a six hour adventure exploreing the forest roads. One of the many beautiful places we stopped was Potato Lake. The kids posed for pics and caught crayfish while Scott and I took in the scenery.

Last Chance at Canyon Lake

Once October hits I would say that most of the Phoenix Valley is ready for the cooler weather. Our family would agree but...cooler weather also means an end to boating season. This season was cut a little short when we messed up our boat trying to rescue a family during a Lake Powell storm, at night. The boat was in the shop for 6 weeks. Anyway, here's to one last outing...

It has been so fun to watch Clayton this year. He has gotten very comfortable behind the boat and goes back and forth over the wake with ease. There has even been a jump here or there.

Brooklyn is quite conservative when it comes to boating...Chloe, on the other hand, doesn't like dad's put-put driving. Here she was yelling "faster! faster!"

The Happiest Place on Earth!

I don't quite know what it is, but there is something very magical about Disneyland. There is nothing like walking down main street with your 4 children; the smells, music, excitement, anticipation, happy people. It had been 3 years since we had gone and all of the kids, Chloe included, were so excited. We spent 3 days between Disneyland and California adventure and we loved it all. Here are just a few magical moments...

Pat (my brother) and Genine and their kids met us for a day at Disneyland and we all had a blast. Sharing memories with cousins always makes things more exciting. Thanks again for making the trip to spend the day with us.

We stayed at the Carousel Inn and Suites, which is within walking distance from Disneyland, and by the time we made it there each night the kids literally crashed into bed. Chloe gets so excited now when there is a Disneyland commercial and then sings 'It's a small World' for the rest of the day.